Monday 4 June 2012 13.01 EDT
First published on Monday 4 June 2012 13.01 EDT

The audience enjoy the gardens in 1939. John Christie inherited the Glyndebourne estate in 1920. The music lover mounted amateur opera productions in the grand house’s organ room, but following his marriage to singer Audrey Mildmay, set about creating a small purpose-built theatre to hold 300 people, an orchestra pit and a stage. The first festival was in 1934.

A view of the grounds, with the
wind turbine in the background. The turbine was officially launched in January 2012, making the opera house the UK’s first arts organisation to thus generate its own power. Photograph: Andrew Hasson